Tag Archives: Housing Options

The Artist-in-Residence program at Judson Manor retirement community in Cleveland Ohio is #5 on what will be my list of “100 Reasons Why Now is The Best Time to Grow Old.” It’s a brilliant idea! Three college students from the Cleveland Institute of Music live rent-free at Judson Manor and in exchange the students provide concerts for the residents. But, as you’ll see in this 2-minute video, the residents and students gain much more from their multi-generational living situation. Talk about a win-win situation.

Looking for an assisted living facility (ALF) is a difficult and daunting task. I have never met anyone whose parent(s) willingly chose to move and then did all the legwork themselves.

Instead the scenario that I lived through, and hear about most often, goes like this…adult child starts doing more and more for older parents (sorting meds, attending doctors visits, paying bills, etc.) Adult child musters up the courage to bring up ALF and parents refuse (and I mean refuse!) to talk about this subject. Adult child feels terrible and tries to figure out how to take care of parents/their own family/their job/their sanity. Then it happens; sudden illness/a fall/devastating diagnosis/one emergency call too many. Now moving to an ALF is necessary for the safety and sanity of all.

If you are in this situation, or think the day is coming, this spreadsheet can help you track the key pieces of information needed to determine which ALF is best. The spreadsheet includes a place for ALF contacts, pricing, services, your overall impression, etc. You can also print the spreadsheet, select legal paper and landscape in your print settings: